When you think of the word “technology,” you might picture an iPhone or a computer or perhaps a machine in a factory. But technology—in its broadest sense—is the application of knowledge for a practical purpose. SUNY Oswego was founded on a similar pedagogical approach when college founder Edward Austin Sheldon introduced object learning and Pestalozzian-style teaching that focused on the uniqueness of each student learner and students using all of their senses to engage their brains. He sought to raise the institution to “its highest degree of usefulness.”

Today, we continue to encourage our students to apply their learning in a variety of settings and in very tangible ways. This kind of minds-on, hands-on learning bridges the gap between theoretical understanding with practical knowledge that prepares our students to be productive employees in their chosen professions and civic agents in their communities. We have a long-established strength in technology education (formerly industrial arts) and have hosted the annual Technology Conference for educators from across New York for the past 79 years. We introduced the multidisciplinary master’s degree in human-computer interaction—the first such program offered in the state. More recently, we are developing curriculum to incorporate more virtual reality/augmented reality, robotics, machine-learning, wireless and sensor technologies, and other emerging areas—with our students graduating with multiple job offers in hand.

As a campus, we work hard to ensure that our classrooms are equipped with the latest technologies and tools to produce graduates who enter the workforce ready to contribute. SUNY Oswego’s Technology Initiative Project grants fund academic initiatives that relate to improving student learning through the use of technology, primarily via innovative or trial initiatives. Recent examples include communication studies acquiring a portable television broadcast system, providing students real-world experience in broadcast journalism; new digital editing computers for the cinema and screen studies editing and post production lab; creation of a hybrid makerspace for students of studio and graphic design; and iPads to assist the Theatre Department’s move to a digital format to manage all productions.

Technology is changing the way every industry works. In this issue of OSWEGO Alumni Magazine, we look at how technology intersects with a variety of career fields. From artists to marketers to educators, Oswego alumni are adopting technologies to innovate and move their careers—and society—forward. Some alumni such as digital marketing entrepreneur Jeff Ragovin ’00 have the vision to predict what the “next big thing” is. Read about his remarkable success with the various marketing waves enabled by new technologies in a story on page 28.

Like the many alumni included in this issue, we keep an eye on the future, anticipating what new challenge or opportunity waits around the next bend. Just as technologies have developed on the inventions that came before, we will use our past success to fuel our future, always focusing on knowledge that will be useful in lighting the path to wisdom.

Deborah F. Stanley, President

]]>http://magazine.oswego.edu/2018/10/31/from-the-president/feed/010192Building a Future at SUNY Oswegohttp://magazine.oswego.edu/2018/10/31/building-a-future-at-suny-oswego/
http://magazine.oswego.edu/2018/10/31/building-a-future-at-suny-oswego/#respondWed, 31 Oct 2018 14:35:52 +0000http://magazine.oswego.edu/?p=10406My first class at SUNY Oswego began on a Monday at 8 a.m.: Woods with Don Feck. I did not know it then, but this was the
beginning of a lifelong friendship with an amazing mentor. Because of my previous experiences and a real love for woodworking, Mr. Feck singled me out for special projects, and I worked as his lab assistant until graduation.

My four years at Oswego were an amazing, transformative period of my life. I’d met my (future) wife, Diane Kruse ’92, by the third week of our freshman year; we both lived on the eighth floor of Funnelle Hall. Twenty-five years and three kids later, we are still happily married and have made Oswego our home.

Through my willingness to serve, different opportunities arose. One of the stranger things I did, not once, but twice, was sleep on a table in Swetman Gym as the sole overnight security staff of the annual Fall Technology Conference. That’s a long way from where I am now, having served eight times as chair of the conference, now in its 79th year.

For two years I ran a Recycling Regatta on Glimmerglass Lagoon. Recycling was just kicking in and former student, Brian LaBarr ’89 M’97, thought it would be neat to design and build “boats” and then race them. By the way, it takes 10, 64-ounce Tide bottles to hold up 100 pounds of weight. The experience was a blast.

During my junior year, I built a never-been-built before lounge chair designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Design faculty member John Belt acquired plans from former student Tom Knoble. The chair was intended for the Usonian Pope-Leighey House, in Falls Church, Va. Mr. Belt seized a moment and took me and some others on a road trip to the house, where I got to meet Mr. Pope, for whom the house was built. I brought up the plans and he said that he was supposed to build it, but it was beyond his wood-working skills. Over my senior year I took on the challenge; the plans included all sorts of strange angles, but I did it.

It was fitting to finish my undergrad career at Oswego with my last exam in the last exam slot: Manufacturing with Don Feck. I went off and taught in public schools around Central New York for the next six years and finished my graduate degree, also at Oswego. When I learned about an opening in the department—the first in 15 years—I jumped on it. Lo and behold, I was offered to come back and teach at my alma mater. I returned in fall 1998 and, once again, Mr. Feck was there to be my faculty mentor.

My journey from assistant professor to associate professor has included the transformation and update of the physical structure of the department. It’s an amazing environment to work in, with a nice mix of the traditional and the modern.

As a faculty member in the department it is my duty—and primary drive—to continue the quality of education and service to the students. I mean, if you’re willing, as a faculty member, to drive about 13 hours in a van full of students to Virginia Beach to The Education Cooperative Connections Academy (TECCA) East competition, and not do it just once, but continue doing it after 10 years, you understand the importance of carrying on the tradition that was handed down to me. The students come in and we give them the opportunity to design and create. We show them the process for discovery, and it is really exciting to nurture them along. It’s the accomplishments of the students, that’s the fun part of being the teacher.

—Rich Bush ’92 M’97

Rich Bush ’92 M’97 is an associate professor of technology in the School of Education, and chairs the annual Fall Technology Conference at SUNY Oswego. He is pictured in the Frank Lloyd Wright chair he built during his junior year at SUNY Oswego.

Geodesic Dome

If you have visited campus in the past 10 years you might have walked past this silver “jungle gym” and wondered: What is it? Where did it come from? And, why it is here?

The official name of this type of structure is a geodesic dome; it was made famous by 20th-century inventor and visionary R. Buckminster Fuller. At SUNY Oswego, the geodesic dome is 20 feet in diameter with 3-inch aluminum struts, and it has lived in a few places on campus—including in front of Wilber Hall—before landing in its current location in the quad between Park and Rich halls.

Oswego’s dome was erected in 2008 as part of a program called “Geodesic Structures: Build a Dome for Bucky’s Birthday.” Thirty dome builders and students came together to build the dome at the direction of 43-year SUNY Oswego faculty member and Fuller scholar, John Belt. Today, the structure continues to honor Fuller and and to inspire the creativity and innovation that goes into all design.

Exclusive Video

A close look at SUNY Oswego Professor John Belt’s Studio in 202 Park Hall

Some people really know how to make the most of their retirements. Marilynn Smiley is one of those people.

When she retired in 2014 after 53 years in the Music Department, she was finally able to spend more time on her research projects, community service and traveling.

As president of the Oswego Opera Theatre, she helps raise funds to produce two professional operas a year—giving Oswego faculty, students and community members an opportunity to participate in a high-quality opera and providing the general public a chance to attend a production not typically afforded to a community the size of Oswego.

As co-president of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Oswego chapter, she coordinates the GEMS (Girls Excelling in Math and Science) recognition program at the middle school to encourage young women to pursue careers in STEM disciplines. She also collected and co-edited a book on Remarkable Women in New York State History (History Press, 2013) to, as she said, “document and share the stories of these women who really made a difference in our communities across the state.”

She continues to publish articles and reviews of American composers and musical CDs for the Journal of the Society for American Music. She contributed several entries on a book about 19th-century American composers, and attends and presents at conferences of the American Musicological Society and AAUW.

Named a recipient of the 1973 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and as a distinguished teaching professor in 1974, Dr. Smiley served as department chair; was a long-time adviser to Vega, Oswego’s honor society for women; and taught a range of music history and literature courses.

Among her most visible professional accomplishments at SUNY Oswego was establishing the Penfield Library’s collections of musical scores, recordings and books to support the creation of the music major.

“I needed to create a balanced collection from all eras and styles of music—everything from the complete works of Bach and Handel to pop, jazz, rock and folk,” she said.

Today, she enjoys traveling all over the world—making a point to seek out the music and historic sites within that country or area to better understand the culture.

“Music really is a universal expression,” she said. “Every culture has music—no matter how sophisticated or simple. I tried to teach my students to have a lifelong interest in music so they would be able to go to a concert or hear live music and understand some of the complexities of it and appreciate it. And sometimes the aesthetics of the music wave over you and transport you.”

Some of her recent research has focused on the role of music in the lives of refugees— particularly the Jewish refugees who were housed at the “Safe Haven” of Oswego’s Fort Ontario in August 1944.

“Music can have a functional role—like a lullaby to put a baby to sleep or drums to prepare soldiers for battle,” she said. “For the refugees, music helped get their minds off the horrible situation they were in. They needed something beautiful in their lives at a difficult time.”

I am excited to share this latest edition of our alumni magazine with you! As you can see, we have begun a redesign under new magazine designer Jennifer Broderick, to freshen our look and bring you content in new and different ways. We know people love our magazine, so we hope you like our new look—which will continue to evolve—and we welcome your feedback!

We’ll also be adding more online content and redesigning our online magazine … look for those changes to come soon. Check out our new mobile-friendly, redesigned website at alumni.oswego.edu in coming weeks, as well.

As we begin the new academic year here on campus, I am also delighted to welcome the newest member of our alumni team, Kerisha Lewis ’18. She joined us this summer as assistant director of student-alumni engagement. Kerisha will work with our growing student programming to link students to alumni and build Laker pride and tradition, in addition to assisting with Reunion groups and other alumni programming. Malcolm Huggins has also joined our Annual Fund team after several years in the Athletic Department.

As we enhance our communications with our 85,000+ alumni in additional (and more cost-effective!) ways, we continue to expand our outreach on our social media channels. So please “like” us on Facebook (Oswego Alumni), Twitter, Instagram, etc. so you don’t miss out on any news or events! Also, please make sure we have your current email address, as some of our event invitations now are only sent via email. All of these communication vehicles allow us to share more things with you on a regular basis, as well as keep you connected to more Oswego alumni!

And please consider joining us as a volunteer. Join the Reunion 2019 Engagement and Planning Committee for your class (or group). Or come back to campus to speak in classes as part of our ever-growing Alumni-In-Residence (AIR) program, sign up to help mentor students or recent grads as part of the Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK) program or join our growing Local Lakers network of volunteers to help plan Oswego events in your area.

However you choose to stay connected to or engaged with Oswego, we welcome your involvement. If you get the chance to visit campus, please make sure a stop at King Alumni Hall is on your list. Browse our alumni memorabilia and yearbooks, and share your stories with us.

Spring is arriving at SUNY Oswego, and students are shaking off late-winter doldrums with Frisbee on the emerging grass and soaking up the sunshine’s warmth. Spirits are lifted and smiles abound. It’s amazing what a smile can do—not just here on campus, but also in our day-to-day interactions. Smiles transcend all language barriers and can convey a range of positive feelings—kindness, gratitude, hope, understanding, joy and so many others.

Our cover story highlights alumna Susannah Melchior Schaefer ’90, who leads an organization dedicated to “improving the world one smile at a time”. The largest cleft repair organization, Smile Train works with partner doctors and hospitals to provide free cleft repair surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children in more than 85 countries. Through her work, she is quite literally helping give every child a chance to smile. The organization has funded surgeries for well over 1 million children worldwide—not only giving them cosmetic facial work, but also providing critical repairs to their mouths and palates to improve speaking, eating and breathing.

One of my favorite parts of the job as president of SUNY Oswego is meeting our exceptional alumni like Susannah, who are making an impact on the world through their careers and service. In this issue, we also spotlight another alumna, Martha Swan ’81, who saw a need in her community and took action to make a change. Her compassion toward the family of an inmate housed in a maximum-security prison near home led her to found Friends in the Adirondacks and fulfill her personal mission of making the Adirondacks “truly welcoming” to all people.

For more than 50 years, the Black Student Union on campus has had a similar mission of making all students—but especially students of color—feel welcome and valued. Throughout its long and vibrant history, the organization has helped educate the campus community about black history and culture, and has provided leadership opportunities for students who organize a robust schedule of activities every year, including collaborating with the African Student Organization, Asian Student Association, Latino Student Union and the Native American Heritage Association on the annual ALANA celebration. A key reason for this group’s success throughout its five decades is thanks to another alumnus, Howard Gordon ’74 M’78, whose contributions to this campus cannot be overstated. He has provided the college with leadership and has been a consistent voice in all college conversations about diversity and multicultural programming.

Finally, this issue tells the story of some of our alumni-athlete NCAA coaches—who provide the roles of leader, mentor, teacher and rule enforcer for their teams. Their work lays the foundation for their student-athletes’ lifelong connection to competitive and team sports. These alumni coaches model the sportsmanship, teamwork and drive that students can emulate throughout their professional and personal lives.

Our alumni are the embodiment of our power as an educational institution to improve the world; they demonstrate our value in contributing toward the public good. I am so proud of what all of you accomplish and how you represent us in the world beyond Oswego. You give us a lot to smile about!

Last summer, the Oswego Alumni Association Inc. conducted a comprehensive voluntary survey of our 84,000+ alumni to explore your views and opinions of the Oswego Alumni Association’s and SUNY Oswego’s correspondence and engagement with you, along with your feedback on the college’s image. For those of you who participated, thank you! Your feedback will assist the Oswego Alumni Association in tailoring our programs and communications and overall engagement efforts with you.

Our Board of Directors specifically wanted to know:

• What do you want in the form of programs, services and communications?

• Where do you get your information about the college and alumni programs?

• Your satisfaction with your Oswego experience—how do you view the reputation of the college, was your Oswego education an asset and would you recommend Oswego to others?

Below are some of the survey results highlights:

For our most recent GOLD (Graduates Of the Last Decade) alumni, 25 percent of you receive the majority of your information on social media, closely followed by the alumni magazine and emails (20 percent each). Seventy-seven percent engage on Facebook, followed by 41 percent on Instagram and 35 percent on Twitter.

The majority of GOLD alumni visit our website on a mobile device, and the majority also are most interested in alumni benefits. Almost half of GOLD alumni would consider supporting Oswego “where the need is greatest,” followed by 37 percent who would support individual schools, departments or programs, and three quarters of you prefer to make your gifts online. Almost half would rate Oswego’s current reputation as high, followed by 31 percent who say it is very high. Sixty-one percent were very likely to recommend SUNY Oswego to others.

For non-GOLD alumni, more than half of you still get the majority of your information from the alumni magazine, with e-newsletters next at 20 percent. Almost one third of non-GOLD alumni visit our website on a mobile device. Non-GOLD alumni are most interested in alumni events and our OsweGoConnect community—to connect with other alumni. Half of you engage on Facebook, but 44 percent of you do not use any form of social media.

More than half of non-GOLD alumni would support the college “where the need is greatest,” followed by 36 percent who would support scholarships. Forty-two percent of you prefer to make your gifts online.

Just over half of non-GOLD alumni rate Oswego’s current reputation as high, followed by 31 percent who rate it very high. More than half of you would be very likely to recommend SUNY Oswego to others, followed by 29 percent who would be likely to recommend.

Based on your feedback, the Oswego Alumni Association Inc. will continue to adjust programs, services and communications to meet your changing needs.

One of our current initiatives includes launching a new alumni benefit through a partnership with Nationwide Insurance, which will offer Oswego alumni discounted rates for homeowners, auto, motorsport and pet insurance (see story on page 7). We are also making sure all of our communications are more mobile-friendly and increasing our engagement on social media to meet those of you who are engaging there.

Please keep letting us know how we can best serve you! We look forward to connecting with you soon … in person or online!

I wish I could say otherwise, but my path to Oswego State came comically by chance. I remember back in high school sitting in a circle of prospective students while an Oswego Admissions rep asked each of us our intended major of study. Practically everyone picked Business Administration. When my turn came, not to be a downer, I picked the same. We were allowed to room with a classmate also planning to attend Oswego. Larry Cardarelli ’89, barely an acquaintance at the time, turned to me right away and asked if he could bunk with me.

Sure, why not?

And that was that. I was going to SUNY Oswego. 926 Funnelle. Warming up the vacuum tube stereo console. Being very cool on the weekends and mildly productive during the week. Incredible lasting memories, and then whoops! I did not want to pursue a degree in business. I couldn’t even balance my checkbook!

In my spring sophomore semester, I took an elective on the Enlightenment. I made it to my 20th year of life having read only three creative works by individual authors. One, On the Road by Jack Kerouac, certainly not assigned to me in Principles of Accounting II, was my gateway book to the artistic life. The Enlightenment class made 18th century philosophical books assigned reading. Candide by Voltaire, for instance. By the end of my first upper level history course, I was smitten with the love of learning. It cleared my path to the life abundant.

During my early postgraduate years, I reached out in many directions, moving from history to literature, philosophy, psychology, creative writing and, finally, to painting, where I could manifest the expression of my humanness in full color. It helped that I was an enthusiastic young father, actively raising my firstborn daughter Rhiannon ’12, a summa cum laude graduate of SUNY Oswego; and also a hopeful romantic, courting and marrying my best friend, Oswego BFA graduate Rose Gosselin Throop ’95. In 2001, our daughter Sophia was born, and I continued to homeschool both my girls to high school and middle school respectively, using Penfield Library as a most valuable tool, and the setting of beautiful Lake Ontario for an artist to seek satori in paradise.

Ron Throop ’90, who graduated with a history degree, is a professional painter/writer living in Oswego, N.Y. He has self-published 14 books on a wide range of subjects—art, essay, philosophy, sociology and psychology, and is a prolific acrylic painter whose works have been exhibited locally, statewide, nationally and internationally.

Today, I live in a cedar shake cottage, a stone’s throw from Sheldon Hall. Most graduates see college as a stepping stone to another life in another place. Oswego has remained my home, and the college a major piece of it.

I paint nearly every day, exhibit my paintings, and write and publish autobiographical works examining life’s puzzles and my place in them. I ascribe to the art movement called Stuckism. According to its cofounder, Charles Thomson of London, England, I am a leading figure promoting the movement in the United States. If you seek my work and help raise its value to astronomical, I promise to donate large sums to the college fund.

This past October, I exhibited and curated the work of 34 internationally recognized Stuckist painters at Quintus Gallery in Watkins Glen. Currently, I am showing the brilliant work of Spanish painter Lupo Sol at The Broad Street Gallery in Hamilton, N.Y. I update my website (ronthroop.com) and blog regularly at stuckismwatkinsglen.blog, and post upcoming exhibitions. I suggest getting out to art openings whenever possible. Free food and beverages, and usually good conversation too, especially when the music is set to groovy, and no authority figure is watching the punch bowl.

This magazine’s main feature is about one of my all-time favorite passions—and something I, along with the Oswego Alumni Association Board of Directors, have as a primary objective of our alumni engagement efforts—the value of networking and alumni connections. I am proud of the many networking programs we have launched and grown over the years to assist both students and alumni on their career paths. (See Featured Story)

net•work [net-wurk]

verb (used without object)—to cultivate people who can be helpful to one professionally, especially in finding employment or moving to a higher position.

We invite you to be a part of Oswego’s “Get Work Network!” With our ever-growing database of close to 84,000 alumni, your Oswego alumni network is one of the most powerful tools for expanding your cache of career contacts. Register in our exclusive alumni community, OsweGoConnect, and you can search for specific alumni, connect with fellow alumni for job openings, career advice, mentoring and more. So I encourage you to log in and register today if you haven’t already! See the inside front cover of this magazine to learn about the multitude of ways you can connect with fellow Oswego alumni!

Our Oswego alumni LinkedIn group (linkedin.com/groups/48717) and our
alumni Facebook page (facebook.com/oswegoalumni) provide daily networking opportunities for Oswego grads. We invite you to take part in the frequent and lively discussions that take place.

Volunteer to mentor a current student (or a recent grad) through our ASK (Alumni Sharing Knowledge) program; you can critique resumes, offer career advice, provide job shadow experiences, and connect them to internships or co-ops in your company. The extent of your involvement is totally up to you … but the benefit to our students and recent grads … priceless! Assisting our current students or helping our new grads launch their careers is one of the most valuable ways you can reach back and give a hand up.

Even though you can stay connected to Oswego through our many social and career networks and on the web, we love to meet our Oswego alumni the old-fashioned way—in person! We hope that you come back and see us soon in person to check out all of the amazing improvements to campus. Attend a Local Lakers regional event … or offer to plan and host one in your community!

King Alumni Hall, your alumni “home” when you return to campus, is a welcoming place to stop by, peruse yearbooks and alumni memorabilia and share your favorite Oswego memories; we enjoy hearing them all!

So return for Reunion Weekend (June 7-10, 2018), come back next fall for our new Homecoming tradition (See Homecoming Story) or to cheer on a Lakers team, take in a theatre production or Artswego performance. We look forward to seeing you soon. And don’t forget to join our many alumni social media networks today!

]]>http://magazine.oswego.edu/2017/12/07/oswego-matters-17/feed/09861From the President’s Deskhttp://magazine.oswego.edu/2017/12/06/from-the-presidents-desk-12/
http://magazine.oswego.edu/2017/12/06/from-the-presidents-desk-12/#respondWed, 06 Dec 2017 19:15:53 +0000http://magazine.oswego.edu/?p=9628Home. It’s a word that means many things to people. It’s the place where you connect with family and friends. It’s the place where you can unwind and be yourself. It’s a place where memories are made and life’s most important moments are shared.

I hope you consider SUNY Oswego your home—the place where you have made lifelong friends, where you could not only be yourself but maybe discovered who you are; a place that is so full of memories you feel compelled to return and in doing so, you create more cherished moments. We hope you experience the life and vitality of this campus, realizing your own potential and how your presence and success nurtures others.

In this issue, we talk about the ties that alumni have to each other and to the students who are studying on our campus, and how those connections create a strong network of support to assist Oswego family members as they develop professionally. We highlight the career resources that are available throughout the lives of all members of the Oswego family, through the college’s Career Services office and the Oswego Alumni Association. To access them, all you need to do is visit the college—virtually or in person. Our doors (and resources) are open to you. See related stories on pages 24-34.

Like a home, the college welcomes all of its members to return whenever they can. We were fortunate this fall to welcome home Bob Moritz ’85, the chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, to meet and share advice with our students, faculty and administrators. As the head of one of the “Big Four” global professional services firms, he meets with princes and presidents in dozens of countries every year, and yet, he made time for a trip to visit his Oswego family. He reminded students that he once was in their shoes—trying to balance studies with social life, career options with life goals, ambition with humility and humanity. Read more about his visit on page 14.

Throughout the year, the college provides many opportunities to you to come home to visit. Each fall, we are building the Homecoming tradition to unite alumni and students, and encouraging them to share their Oswego pride. See coverage of our third annual celebration on pages 20-21. In June, we host the largest on-campus celebration for alumni during Reunion Weekend. Our next one is June 7-10, 2018, so mark your calendars. We also host more than 150 alumni each year through the Alumni-In-Residence program, which brings alumni back to campus to share their knowledge with students through in-class presentations and informal gatherings. The Oswego Alumni Association plans gatherings across the state and country to bring together alumni who may not be able to return to campus.

So as we wind down another calendar year, I hope you will make a goal for the new year to come visit all of us, your college family, at your SUNY Oswego home!